The Colorado Avalanche are going to win the 2026 Stanley Cup.
I made the declaration about a month ago when pressed for a Cup pick. At the time, I thought I was being a Brooklyn hipster going against a wave of sentiment behind the Edmonton Oilers, who have lost consecutive Stanley Cup Finals; the Dallas Stars, who have lost three straight Western Conference finals; and the Vegas Golden Knights, who added Mitch Marner in the offseason.
Imagine my surprise when I looked at the ESPN hockey family's season predictions and saw the Avalanche were in fact the chalk of a very crowded field.